For decades people have gathered around their TVs at night to watch one of the best games shows in history, Wheel of Fortune . It’s a game that gets the whole family screaming out letters, shouting answers to puzzles and laughing at some of the contestants’ terrible guesses . One of my favorite things about Wheel of Fortune , however, doesn’t have anything to do with spinning the wheel or solving the puzzle — it’s seeing what gorgeous gown Vanna White is wearing.
So what exactly goes into choosing all of those iconic outfits? For more than 40 years and 8,000 episodes, Vanna White has gotten to play dress-up each night on Wheel of Fortune , donning floor-length sequinned numbers and sleek cocktail dresses. She spoke recently to TV Insider about the selection process, revealing that designers typically show the studio about 40 options for her to try on, and there’s one very specific criteria each dress must meet. White said: When I’m trying them, we say, ‘Does this work? Is it good?’ If I can’t raise my arms to the top level of letters, I can’t wear it.
The woman’s got a job to do, after all, so functionality and being able to move is as important as any part of it. After she tries on all the dresses, the studio chooses about a dozen to go into the rotation. In all her years turning letters on Wheel of Fortune , Vanna White said she’s only repeated one dress, and that was by accident four years ago, as her stylist didn’t realize she’d already worn .